Chapter 7 A Caged Lioness

LEILA'S POV When my eyes finally adapted, I found myself in a room that I could hardly recognize, and then I looked down to see that my left hand had been bound up. I frowned, looking around and trying to recall where I was and what was happening. Then, suddenly, it all came rushing back. The bodies of my family members slumped across the dining table. I was then abducted and forced to marry the man who murdered my family. Then traveled to Italy, where I almost got killed upon arrival, and then raped by my so called “husband,” which led to me sliting my wrist. I knew Makros wouldn’t let me die, but still it was worth a try. I was desperate to escape this hell that has now become my life. With the fog lifted, I rose from the bed, approaching the door. I was determined to get out of the house by any means possible, but the moment I placed my hand on the doorknob, it was turned over, and the door was pushed open. In came Makros, and in his eyes, I could see suppressed anger, probably because of what I did. He came inside and slammed the door shut behind him. He walked towards me slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. I glared at him as I moved back, not wanting to be cornered. “If you have something to say, you can say it from over there,” I told him, but of course that didn't stop him from closing the gap. Finally, I found myself backed into a wall with Makros towering over me. I looked straight past him, avoiding any form of eye contact. He raised his hand and held onto my chin, forcing me to look him square in the eyes. “I'll let this slide, but only because it amuses me. Cross me again, and I'll make your existence a living hell. You'll beg for death, but I'll deny you even that mercy. Your life is nothing but a plaything for me, a fragile toy to be crushed at my whim. You'd do well to remember that I own you Sunshine, every inch of you. Do you understand me?” I glared at him, my breath heavy, not breaking eye contact so that I wouldn’t seem weak. I gave him no reply to his question but kept on glaring at him. “I asked, do you understand?” he repeated, squeezing harder on my face, and I hissed. “Yes. Yes, I do,” I finally said, pulling on his arm. “Good,” he released my cheeks and moved away from me. My gaze followed his every move with a vicious glare, watching as he sat down on one of the couches in the room. “You must be having a lot of fun watching me go through all of this.” One side of Makros's lips twitched and with more terrifying anger, he shook his head. “I'm not having fun. You chose to put yourself in the situations and circumstances you found yourself, not me. If you behave and do as you're told, I can assure you that you'll live an even better life than you did with your family.” “You're despicable. How do you expect me to live peacefully with the man who massacred my entire family?” As I said that, Makros crossed his legs, and placed his hand under his chin watching me curiously. “It's not an option for you, Leila. It's something you have to do to survive. Or don't you want to live long enough to be able to take revenge on the man that killed your family?” The way he casually spoke about the fact that he killed my family like he was talking about taking a walk in the park, something that didn't mean anything. I didn't expect him to be remorseful but at least have some respect for me, the only surviving member. “I can't even stand looking at you right now, so I'm going to leave before I try to kill you, for real this time,” I said, and without waiting for a reply, I started walking towards the door. “Make sure you don't venture too far and don't make me come look for you,” he said without even looking at me. I pushed the door open. “Also…” he started as he turned to me, making me stop in my tracks. “...don't even think about running away, 'cause you can't,” he finished with a sinister smile. I walked out and slammed the door behind me. How can a human be so heartless? How could he ask so much of a person who had to live with the memory of her dead family, one that he killed? I couldn't fathom what kind of heart he had to be able to do such things. As I left the hallway that Makros' room was in, I zoned out and didn't take note of where I was going. When I finally became aware, I was lost with no one in sight. I walked around for a while, trying to find the way, but it was all to no avail. The house was a maze. I was about to round a corner when I bumped into someone. I looked up to apologize but stopped when I saw the face of the person. He looked precisely like Makros, so much that he could pass as him. The only thing that made it clear that he wasn't Makros was his shorter hair and the intensity of his eyes. His eyes locked with mine before they narrowed before a kind smile spread across his face. “I'm sorry about that. I didn't see you coming,” he said, his voice smooth and precise. I didn't know him, but behind that kind smile, I could tell that he was up to no good. It made me cautious. “It's fine. It wasn't all your fault. I wasn't paying attention either,” I said with pursed lips and moved out of the way for him to pass. “I know I haven't seen you in this house before. Are you new?” he asked me, and I sighed. “Well, I guess you could say that,” I shrugged. “Then I should introduce myself. My name is Stefanos Crete, and you are?” he asked, stretching his hand for a handshake but I didn't take it. His name rang a bell in my head, and I remembered where I had heard it. Back when I was still at home, I was chatting with a few friends, and one of them spoke about how she had a run-in with Stefanos Crete. She told us of his escapades and how much of a cunning womanizer he was. He was also Makros' cousin. “Leila Crawford,” I answered. “OH, THE LEILA CRAWFORD. What are you doing walking around on your own?” he asked. “You looked almost panicked when I bumped into you.” There was something about the gentle tone of his voice that made me want to respond even though I should hate anyone bearing Crete at this moment. “Well, I kind of lost my way and couldn't find anyone that could help me,” I explained. “Okay, tell me where you're going and I’ll take you there,” he offered, and I shook my head. It didn't feel like anything good could come out from me spending time alone with this guy or letting him know where my room was. “You don't need to do that much for me. You can take me to any one of the main areas, and I’ll find my way from there.” “Are you sure? Cause I know every nook and cranny of this household.” “Of course you do, but I'm fine,” I said in a stern voice. “If that's what you want, then this way,” he said and walked in front of me. As we made our way, Stefanos tried to engage me in small talks but I wasn't having it. It seemed like we were getting closer to the central area because I started to hear loud voices. I frowned when I looked at Stefanos who smiled softly at me. We finally reached the vast living room, and there were all the guards and maids of the house. They stood in front of Makros who sat on the couch with his back to us. I wanted to make up an excuse to tell Stefanos so I could quietly escape before Markos noticed me, but I was too late. “What's going on here?” Stefanos asked, and everyone turned to us. Among those staring eyes were Makros's furious ones. He stood up from the couch and turned to face us. “Where have you been, and why are you with him?” His voice was cold and angry, the intensity hitting me with a force so hard I almost winced. “I asked you a question, and I expect an answer.” “Calm down Cous.”